Plans for a housing development on green wedge land at Little Maltby Farm in Ingleby Barwick have been resubmitted (Image: Google)

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Controversial plans for 200 homes near Ingleby Barwick’s new school have been given the go-ahead by a Government inspector.

The scheme was thrown out by Stockton Council’s planning committee last November after planners were told by residents “Ingleby Barwick is full.”

Objections included the loss of a greenfield site, a lack of infrastructure and an increase in traffic.

But Darlington based Prism Planning appealed on behalf of the landowner, farmer Ian Snowdon, and a public inquiry was held in March.

Now, nearly nine months later, the inspector has found in favour of the appellant on all counts, noting: “The social and economic benefits of the new housing would be very significant indeed and would make an important contribution to the borough’s housing supply.

“The scheme would include a useful and much needed contribution to the stock of affordable housing in Stockton.”

He added: “The site forms part of a wide area south of Ingleby Barwick as far as Low Lane that is being comprehensively redeveloped to provide much needed housing and other facilities.”

The site is an 80-acre plot next to Thornaby Road and near the new Ingleby Manor free school.

Steve Barker of Prism Planning, who gave evidence at the inquiry, said: “Stockton have recognised that they haven’t been able to demonstrate a five-year housing supply for some time now and the debates over development in this corner of Ingleby have used up a lot of time and resources for landowners and the council alike.

“I hope that now this final decision has been made, all parties can start to move forward positively and work in partnership to make things happen on the ground.

“A lot of time has been spent arguing when we could have been focusing on improving the area and meeting our housing and leisure needs.”

At last November’s planning meeting, the committee unanimously rejected the scheme, which had been reduced to 200 homes from a 550-home plan rejected by the council in April 2014. The developers also appealed the earlier rejection but that was withdrawn after the Secretary of State for Environment refused permission for a neighbouring 550-home scheme by another developer.

But earlier this year the Government made a U-turn and approved the scheme, planned for Little Maltby Farm.

On the 200-home decision, Stockton Council leader, Councillor Bob Cook , said: “Yet again we see a planning decision taken out of the hands of the local authority and made nationally. Unsurprisingly, that decision is to allow 200 more homes to be built in Ingleby Barwick, even though this council’s planning committee had been minded to refuse the application. People should remember this when they see the homes being built.

“It should also be remembered that this comes on the back of the farce we had with the application to build 550 houses on a site next to this one, which saw the then Secretary of State support our decision to reject the development only for the High Court to quash his decision. The whole approach makes a mockery of Government rhetoric about local decision making.

“For our part, we’ve always maintained that planning decisions are best made locally and not in accordance with inappropriate national guidance. This case offers another example to back this up.”

A detailed application for reserved matters is now likely to be submitted to the council in 2017.